Hi all,I've spent some significant time flying the MSFS off-line (past few years) and I'm now wondering of becoming a VA member and start flying on-line.Keeping in mind I will be a newbie to the VA world, can someone guide me as to how all of this 'flying on-line' works...I have broadband so thats ok....but do i need to buy any software/hardware etc etc to be able to do this? Hows VA ATC differnt from ATC when one's flying off-line...do i need some sort of an add-on/interface to communicate to ATC on-line? Whats the concept? Appreciate your experiences/thoughts/assistance...thanks,pranav

Hello "pranav",hmm, don

Martin's right. I just don't understand why I ever bothered flying offline. Don't worry about being new. I only started last Sunday and find controllers to be patient, friendly people. Just do what you're told and if you made a mistake (I certainly did :-) )apologise and learn from it.Personally I think it's amazing that there are people who will give up their free time for free! A great bunch of people!Gavin

Pranav,I definitely recommend giving it a try! I've been flying online on VATSIM in the NYARTCC for the past 2-1/2 years, and now, almost 100% of my flight simulator time is invested in this excellent ATC environment, flying for my virtual airline. I have found that live interaction with real people working ATC positions, and with other pilots, is more realistic, educational and challenging than flying off-line. There is also the added dimension of being able to meet and chat with people who share an interest in aviation and flight simulation. Some of my best friends are people who I met while flying online.You don't have to be a member of a virtual airline or cargo carrier to fly on an ATC network, but the combination of both is certainly exciting. For example, my VA, Metro Helicopters, has partnered with Virtual Flight Options, a regional carrier. Our pilots coordinate real time, inter-airline connecting flights at New York airports.It can be a bit challenging to get your system configured properly, and you will probably experience "task saturation" for the first few flights - but it's definitely worth it. Check out the online documentation, ATC tutorials and links to the software that you'll need to get started on the VATSIM web site (www.vatsim.net). Look in the Pilot Resources and Getting Started sections.Best of luck, and see you online!WayneMetro 1 / NMH01Metro Helicopters VAwww.metrohelo.org

Pranav,Flying online is well worth the effort. The "fly-in" events(where a bunch of pilots and ATC all convene in one area) are especially realistic because of the density of aircraftand ATC.Flying online at Hovercontrol.com has an easier learningcurve if you're looking to just get a taste of what's possible on Vatsim.In any case, I would also urge you to spend the time to learnhow to fly online. I really couldn't believe it when I experienced it for the first time. . . and when I show people who don't knowabout any of this, they're usually pretty well blown away.Regards,Slugger

Online flying is one of the best examples of freeware. Personally besides the control itself it gives me a sense of beeing connected to the world.Jos